JEDDAH, 4 March 2004 — Police officer Saad Al-Adwani, 29, died on Monday after several weeks in a coma as a result of an operation that went tragically wrong in Jeddah’s Al-Maghrabi hospital. His body was taken to the Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday for prayer and then to his birthplace of Bani Adwan, in the south of the Kingdom, for burial.
Al-Maghrabi hospital has admitted negligence, Okaz daily newspaper said on Tuesday. That was just before he died. It reported that Dr. Akef Al-Maghrabi, owner and CEO of the hospital, had said that Al-Adwani’s lapsing into a coma during the operation was the result of a mistake by the anesthetist.
The hospital bore full responsibility for the tragedy, Dr. Al-Maghrabi said. However, he pointed out that the anesthetist had had more than 20 years’ experience and had worked at the hospital for five years without blemish prior this case.
There was no culpability attached to the surgeon, Dr. Ahmad Handoosa, who performed the operation. He has 25 years’ experience.
Dr. Al-Maghrabi stated that Al-Adwani’s heart stopped beating during the operation. This was treated but he slipped into a coma. He emphasized that the anesthetist had been suspended and the patient’s file handed over to a committee headed by an outside anesthetist. The investigation showed that the tragedy was the result of a wrong evaluation by the anesthetist involved.
In his statement before Al-Adwani died, Dr. Al-Maghrabi said that the patient’s family has been informed of the investigation and that the hospital accepted responsibility resulting for the mistake. “We confirm our commitment to the patient and his family,” he said.
Both the interior and health ministries are currently investigating the incident on the orders of Interior Minister Prince Naif.
Al-Adwani was admitted to Al-Maghrabi hospital last month for what should have been a relatively simple operation — an adenoidectomy. General anesthetic is usually administered but the patient is on his or her way home within a day. When things went wrong Al-Adwani was transported immediately to Erfan Hospital since there are no respirators at Al-Maghrabi Hospital.
